Christmas Eve
by Fallen Seraphina
Summary: There was a lot of things he does that are wrong. He won't deny that. He's by no means a good person. But, there are things he's proud of still. Things he'd damned glad he got right. Christmas Eve happens to be one of the days he remembers this fact of life. Or: Gabe on Christmas Eve
1. Chapter 1

The snow fell slowly onto the ground, sprinkling the mostly empty streets. Cars passed by in the late night traffic, slowly but surely moving. The street lights seemed to glow off the falling slow, giving everything a soft golden glow. A couple stepped out of a little restaurant, holding each other close; their breath could be seen in the cold air. A little girl ran passed them, laughing excitedly at the snow. A woman called out to her, but she continued to run up and down the sidewalk in a nightgown. Buildings and houses were strung up with bright lights. They shone in greens and reds and blues. Doors had wreaths hanging from them; some were old and falling apart, but others looked newly bought. There was an old man sitting on the steps of an apartment building, an equally old dog lying down beside him. he was staring up at the sky as the snow continued to fall.

The light turned red; cars came to a halt as a group of children hurried across the street, two older women guiding them across with bells in hand. Carolers. An old couple walked down another street, what appeared to be their grandchildren playing around in front of them. In this small town, everything just seemed... Peaceful. Like nothing in the world could disrupt them from their gentle rhythm lead by the falling snow. In this town, a dead man walked down the street with his mask off, and no one batted an eye at him.

He paused as the walk signal clicked to stop, looking up at the sky with a slight frown. The groceries in his hand were heavy; as beautiful as the little downtown area seemed, he wanted to just get home. A woman stopped beside him, holding a little girl in her hands. The girl stared at him with a curious stare; he found himself staring back into the bright, green eyes. After a moment, she smiled and cooed. The woman looked down at her, them to him with an apologetic smile. He simply shrugged, giving a small smile back. Of course, he knew what his smile was really like; no matter how small, the hole in his cheek was still there, letting his teeth be constantly seen. The woman didn't even flinch as she turned and looked back at the light, slowly walking across as the walk signal lit up. He crossed as well.

He heard a woman's laugh behind him. He barely glanced back, but he could see a woman latched onto another girl, smiling and laughing. The girl was smiling as well, seeming to have made a joke. He huffed and looked forward again, staring at the snow as it feel in front of him. Almost home now.

He paused in front of his apartment building, staring at the girl on the steps. She looked right back at him, smiling as she stood. Her arms were crossed around her chest, a pale blue coat securely on her. Her dark brown eyes stared up at him. She'd been waiting for him. "You're late." She pipped, brown hair pulled into two small braids.

He grunted in response, seeing a flicker of shadows in his peripheral view. He sighed and shook his head, holding one of the bags out for her. "Your fault for asking me to get ice cream." He replied, nearly glaring at the 8 year old. She just smiled and grabbed the bag, turning and walking back into the building. He followed after her, rummaging through his pocket for the keys.

It was almost weird, having an apartment. Even weirder having a kid with him. It was something he hadn't really had in years. But, it was also like stepping back into a world he long missed. She hummed happily, standing beside him and looking down at her ice cream. The elevator was still broken. He sighed and turned to start hiking up the stairs to the fourth floor. He could hear the landlord talking to someone in the main office; they were laughing. A harmless little Christmas joke. Sometimes, he had to wonder what this town had to go through to become so peaceful. Other times, he wonders if it's just how they've always been.

He unlocked the apartment and swung the door open, huffing out a breath before entering the dark apartment. She immediately flicked on the light, earning a slight flinch from the mercenary. She threw the bag away and grabbed a spoon, hopping onto the couch to settle into the pile of blankets she had. He sighed and followed her in, setting the bags onto the kitchen counter. He put the frozen items in the fridge, then grabbed a box of leftovers and popped it into the microwave.

"That old movie you like came on earlier." She mused out loud, staring at the TV as an old Christmas movie played quietly.

He grabbed his leftovers from the microwave and sat down beside her pile of blankets. "What one?" he asked, shifting to lean back onto the couch. He knew he didn't need to eat anymore, but it was almost like a comfort for him these days. It was frustrating sometimes, though. Sometimes it was annoying to avoid the left side of his face, because of the hole in his cheek.

"Dunno the name. The really weird one, with the Pumpkin King." Without warning, the little girl's head moved to rest on his shoulder. He didn't make any indication of moving away as he stared at the TV as well. Nightmare Before Christmas. An old classic from years ago. He's pretty sure he owned a copy of it, once upon a time... he sighed and took a bit of his food. "I think it's gonna be on later too..."

He hummed quietly in response, glancing down at the girl as she ate her ice cream. He sighed and shifted just barely to move one of his arms across the top of the couch. Neither said anything further as they watched the old movie. She hummed softly as a stupid, cheery song came on. He was always reminded of just how young she was, when she happily sang along to these songs. She looked at him expectantly, eyebrow raised. He sighed and started singing along, shifting to move some of the girl's blankets onto his lap. No matter how annoying the songs were, it was Christmas Eve. He'd indulge her for tonight, at least.

At one point, the little girl fell asleep. She snored softly, slumped against the mercenary with her mouth open and a spoon still in her hand as the credits rolled on screen. He sighed and looked down at her, slowly sliding away. He moved her to lie down on the couch, tucking the blankets around her small body. He grabbed the ice cream and walked back to the kitchen.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Hello, Fallen here. Seraphina's still gone, and I have been playing quite a bit of Overwatch. And thus this little baby was born._

 _It was just a dumb AU! concept I wanted to write, and my friend Foxxie encouraged. We both wanted Gabriel aka Reaper to have some semblance of contentment. Something that just... makes him happy. And then we made this little girl who could just light up Gabe's world. Her name is Mary. He met her outside a bar, she followed him to a safe house and pestered him for 3 days straight until he cracked, said "Fuck It." and took her with him. T_

 _She's about eight in this little one-shot, about 2 or so years into being with Reaper._

 _I based the town off of my own little home town in Wyoming. Small little place that doesn't bat an eyelash at anything, seriously. You can be the most fucked up individual and no one will care. I feel like someone like Reaper, with four eyes and a hole in the side of his face, would really appreciate a place like this._

 _Reaper's still a mercenary with a plot of vengeance and works for Talon, but he also has a smol precious child and a place to call home, even if it's only home for a few weeks out of the year. Mary loves to go with him on missions, but most times she'll stay put in the safe house or wherever they're hiding out in. I might do more on her. I dunno._

 _Just remember, this is an AU! for the most part. I also have a similar thing for Jack/Soldier:76. I just want Jack and Gabe to be happy._


	2. Chapter 2

She was acutely aware of every little sound as she lied on the couch, curled up just beside the mercenary. She could hear the slow, soft noise of a page turning and the distant hum of the single light that he had kept on. Every little noise seemed to amplify as she kept her eyes close in her half-dazed sleep. It was late, that she knew. She never got to finish the ending of the movie they'd been watching...

She heard the man grunt as he moved into a more comfortable position.

The sound of soft knocking made her open her eyes as she felt the man tense beside her. She shifted, moving further into the nest of blankets she had made. The dip in the couch beside her disappeared at he stood. She closed her eyes once again as feet padded against the wooden floors, followed by a exasperated sigh as she heard the door click open once again. As the door opened, she could make out a familiar whisper when someone entered. "... She already asleep?" The cool, southern drawl made her smile.

She heard Reaper simply grunt in response, shutting the door behind the man. He chuckled and she could hear the sound of a bag as heavy footsteps made it over to the living area. She guessed he set whatever it was on the coffee table. "She looks like a burrito, all snuggled up..." He mused, followed by more footsteps.

"A burrito that takes up half the couch." She frowned from under the covers at that. It was her couch; she called it when they had first moved in. But, McCree just laughed again, slow and warm as their voices became harder to hear. They'd gone to the kitchen; she could hear the fridge open, followed by the click of a bottle opening.

"It's not like you gotta sleep no more, Gabe." There was a hint of joking in his tone, but the mercenary didn't reply. There was a long pause of silence as Mary guessed they took a drink of their beer. She's pretty sure it was beer. That was about all Reaper would do with McCree. She heard McCree sigh, followed by more footsteps. "... You never really slept all that much back then either."

"Too much on my mind." The reply was soft, unsure. The hesitance in his voice was obvious to Mary. His voice didn't shake; Reaper had long refused to let it. "Still have too much on my mind, but it's... Easier. She makes it easier." She smiled at that that, practically beaming from under the blankets.

"A little ray of sunshine, for the moody king of edgy." He said, a light chuckle in his voice. She could hear Reaper laugh slightly as well. There was another pause, shorter than the last one. She shifted, peeking out just enough to see them standing a few inches away, staring down at the ground with beer in hand. "You watch any movies?" He said after a moment, lifting his head to look up at the mercenary.

He shrugged, continuing to look down. "... That Rudolph remake came on earlier. The shitty 2023 one." He said simply.

McCree snorted, leaning against the counter. "Never really was into the whole "Christmas Spirit", were ya?" He said, amused. "More of a Halloween guy."

"What's not to love about a dumbass holiday about buying other people presents..." He grumbled, followed by the rough clank of his glass being set down.

"I dunno... Spending time with family and loved ones don't sound like a bad idea sometimes..." She saw him shift closer to the wraith, setting his own beer down onto the counter. Mary grinned, watching the two fondly.

"..." Reaper looked like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out as he slowly looked up at the other man. She just realized he wasn't wearing his hat; he must've taken it off at the door.

"Havin' a big old dinner, getting a gift from someone you love..." He continued, smiling at the wraith, who simply crossed his arms. "Watching the snow fall- Well, not really for me. Don't get much snow down south, you know? But it sure is pretty. Makes everything seem so much more... bright. The lights shinin' off them all twinkly... Decoratin' the tree, arguin' 'bout who gets to put the star on-"

"Jesse." The man interrupted.

"Yeah?" McCree answered, leaning forward.

"Shut up." The cowboy just laughed at that, hand moving to his neck.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Gabe." He said playfully, closing the gap between them. Mary gasped and barely held back a giggle as they kissed. She quickly slipped back under the blankets as they turned to look in her direction. She was sure they'd heard her.

"... I think a certain lil' girl isn't as asleep as we thought she was." She nearly snorted at McCree's soft, hushed tone. She could just barely make out a sigh from Reaper, then careful footsteps away from the kitchen, then stopping just a short distance away. She practically held her breath before she was suddenly being scooped up, blankets and all. She squealed, playfully kicking as the cowboy held her up.

She looked up at him and giggled profusely, earning a grin from him as well. "Pretty sure it's past your bed time, little miss." He mused. She could see Reaper leaning against the kitchen entrance, arms crossed. He had a small smile as well; his eyes were brought to only three.

Her laughter slowly died as she stared up at him, continuing to smile. "... Reaper said villains don't have bedtimes." She replied with a wide grin.

Reaper immediately sputtered, staring at her as if she had just betrayed her. McCree snorted and looked over at Reaper incredulously, which only just made her begin giggling all over again. He huffed and shook his head, walking closer to join them. She wiggled her arms free from the blanket and reached over for him, leaving McCree to hold the blankets as she wrapped her arms around the wraith's neck, making him carry her back towards the couch. She happily curled up on his lap as Jesse walked over and covered them all with the blankets.

This was definitely her favourite Christmas.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Hello, Fallen here. I made a second part to the original one-shot I made in November for Christmas. It's more rushed, but I had an idea and wanted to get it out of my mind._

 _Jesse joins them for the night._

 _Fun Fact: Since I'm legit making this in a full-fledged AU!, I have a lot of dumb one-shots and headcanons, which I may be adding. For now, I'm just gonna keep this as "complete". It's a semi-domestic AU! but keeps some of the key elements of the original Overwatch universe._

 _I hope you all enjoyed it. I hope you like Mary, because I know I love her._


End file.
